Entries by Administrator

The Bethlehem Town Council, on Monday, approved a bid for replacement of the flooring in the town community room next to City Hall on Christmas Avenue.
ARMCO Carpet Sales was awarded the contract with the low bid of $5,218. Britt’s Home Furnishing, Inc. ($6,396) and DG Floors Commercial and Residential Solutions ($8,025) also submitted bids.
Town clerk Kathy Bridges said the current flooring has been in place six years.
In other business Tuesday, the council:
•discussed stormwater issues at the corner of Joseph Street and David Avenue/Manning Gin Road near Harrison Poultry and toward Shepherd Street where pipes have gradually broken off over the years and the road shoulder is in need of widening. Mayor Sandy McNab said he would ask around for proposals to complete the repair work.
•discussed an issue of residents at a house on Joseph Street leaving piles of trash in the yard and burning them rather than putting them in garbage cans. McNab said he would reach out to residents in an effort to bring them into compliance.
•discussed an issue of a boat trailer being left in the street at a house in the Bishop Woods subdivision, which is in violation of town code. Town attorney Ron Bennett said he would send a letter to the homeowner requesting the owner come into compliance.
The council meets next on Sept. 3 at 7 p.m.

Georgia Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle learned the hard way last week: Runoff contests can be wildly unpredictable.
With almost two terms as the state’s No. 2 official under his belt and a vast spending advantage, Cagle was the heavy frontrunner entering the gubernatorial primary and he outpaced his opponents in the May primary election with 39 percent of the vote.
But 39 is not 50, plus one, and the extra two months added to the race proved politically devastating for Cagle, who lost the July 24 runoff by almost 40 percentage points to Secretary of State Brian Kemp who garnered 69.45 percent of the vote.
A look at vote totals shows Cagle lost almost exactly 58,000 votes — down from 236,987 in May to 178,950 last week, while Kemp’s support level skyrocketed from 155,189 to 406,859. Those results were reflected in Barrow County, as Cagle plummeted from 1,731 to 1,129 while Kemp shot from 1,706 to 4,492, earning just under 80 percent of the vote here.
Kemp had some boosts along the way by getting endorsements from former also-rans Hunter Hill and Clay Tippins, but by the end of the race, it was clear Cagle had a substantial trust problem with Republican voters around the state. He was irreversibly damaged by the surfacing of secret recordings in which he said he backed “bad public policy” for political gain and said the GOP primary had become a contest of “who had the biggest gun, who had the biggest truck and who could be the craziest.”
That’s probably the truest thing the lieutenant governor said throughout the whole process. Primaries on both sides have for too long been all about partisan purity. In this case, with little substantive ideological differences, the race between Cagle and Kemp had become, by the end, a battle of who would be a more loyal friend to the NRA, who could use the most demonizing language about immigrants and who had the least bit of shady business deals in their past. The last debate that aired between the candidates a week before the runoff was all about who was the least trustworthy. Seldom did we hear about a vision for how we grow our state’s economy, how we improve our school systems without abandoning public education, how we address issues of health care access and poverty in rural Georgia, and so on.
Yes, Cagle was right. This primary went way off the rails. But when audio evidence of him saying so was presented, he ran away from it. He didn’t own it and he proved he was more than willing to participate in the verbal shoving match. That shows a lack of sincerity.
On the other hand, Kemp was unapologetic. If you wanted a politically incorrect conservative, that was him. His biggest controversy was his television commercials, which turned out to be a massive hit with conservatives and his advantage. And the final nail came when President Trump weighed in and publicly endorsed Kemp, which completely overshadowed outgoing Gov. Nathan Deal’s backing of Cagle and showed that the president remains exceptionally popular with his base.

ON TO NOVEMBER
And so that sets us up for November’s general election, a contest between two starkly different candidates in Kemp and longtime rival Democrat Stacey Abrams. The race carries plenty of national implications, both for this year and in 2020.
This year’s midterms are seen as a referendum on President Trump, and Georgia Democrats are hopeful that any potential “blue wave” will pave the way for an Abrams upset. I’m not so sure of either of those happening, but Georgia’s demographics are changing, the state is beginning to trend toward purple battleground status and if Abrams keeps it close, Georgia will have a much larger spotlight on it come the next presidential election.
It will be interesting to see how Kemp approaches the general election; whether he ditches the deportation truck for more talk about growing small business and the advantages/disadvantages of opening the state’s pocketbook to Amazon; and if increasingly bad headlines for Trump lead to a distancing of sorts.
One thing we definitely can expect is ample comparisons from Kemp — and maybe “Jake” in the commercials — between Abrams and Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton. That strategy worked like gold for the GOP and Karen Handel against Jon Ossoff in last year’s Sixth Congressional District special election.
Abrams, though, doesn’t appear to be running away from the label. Rather than run a more moderate campaign in the mold of Jason Carter, she is aiming to rally the base to the polls and promote a more progressive/liberal vision for the state toward other voters. The big national money is flowing in, prospective hard-left 2020 candidates like Sen. Kamala Harris are coming to Georgia to offer their support, and Abrams seems content with that.
Abrams’ candidacy is a historical one at a pivotal time in our country’s history. There have been very few black governors and there has never been a black female governor elected. Is Georgia, even with its changing demographics, really going to become the first state to do that in 2018 — especially one as liberal as Abrams and especially when it hasn’t voted for a Democrat for governor since Roy Barnes in 1998, hasn’t had a Democratic senator since Zell Miller in 2005 and hasn’t elected a Democratic senator since Max Cleland in 1996?
While she could win much of the suburban Atlanta vote, will Abrams’ candidacy resonate enough with voters in the state’s rural areas outside of the urban liberal bastions?
While the race may wind up “closer than the experts think,” I can’t see her pulling it off without some sort of massive scandal enveloping Kemp or a crippling blow to the Trump presidency that by extension takes Kemp and other Republicans down with him.
Until then, look out for plenty of “We don’t need another Trump as governor” commercials vs. more “Say no to Stacey Pelosi” sound bytes from Jake.
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Scott Thompson is editor of the Barrow News-Journal. He can be reached at sthompson@barrownewsjournal.com.

There seems to be little middle ground when it comes to Donald Trump.
In some ways that was true even before he was president. Now that he has done the seemingly impossible and resides in the White House that is especially the case.
Trump is clearly someone who did not need to be president. He was already known to millions of people in this country. He has long been a successful businessman with staggering wealth and was even a television star of sorts hosting a reality show.
It had been rumored and speculated for years that Trump might run for president. However, most political experts seemed to think that would have taken place in the 1980s. He still had a youthful appearance then, and while all billionaire businessmen are controversial to some degree it was nothing compared to the Trump of 2016.
Trump finally made the decision to legitimately run for president for the 2016 campaign. The news shocked many political pundits who gave him little chance to win a primary, much less the Republican nomination.
The 2016 GOP field was as crowded as any in modern history. There were so many candidates, in fact, that they could not all fit on the debate stage. The debates and forums were split in half with five or six going first before the remaining candidates who had higher poll numbers.
Almost from the start, other candidates attacked Trump for not making a pledge to support whoever was the ultimate nominee. In reality that is a silly thing to attack anyone for. Trump deserved credit for simply not falling in line with the GOP. If he liked the eventual nominee (assuming it was not him) then he would support him (or her). If he didn’t then there would be no endorsement.
Once it became clear that Trump was serious with his presidential bid, the attacks intensified. Ironically, they weren’t just from the Democrats who probably never thought he would be the GOP nominee.
Fox News, the right-leaning network, had several personalities who slammed Trump at every turn. Still even his critics did not think he would come close to winning.
After a disappointing showing in the Iowa Caucus, Trump’s campaign hung in the balance as everything moved to the cold, barren lands of New Hampshire. That win would help send Trump to the nomination.
In reality, GOP insiders wanted anyone but Trump as their nominee. They simply did not believe he could defeat Hillary Clinton in the general election. Truthfully, few political experts thought Trump had a chance either.
However, Trump proved to be the ultimate feline-like candidate with nine lives. No controversy (real or otherwise) mattered to his supporters. Time and time again, reports indicated that Trump had a solid 35 percent of primary voters. That is a large number, especially when the primary field was as large as it was.
Once other candidates (how many can actually remember them all without googling it) began to end their campaigns, it became almost impossible to defeat Trump.
As the campaign moved into the general election stage, Trump’s momentum slowed a little. Even a week before the vote, it didn’t appear he was going to win. That was true even on election day when many began conceding that Trump could not win.
There are even reports that on election night some Republican voters could not watch the returns for fear of what was going to happen. No doubt even they underestimated Trump.
Trump has turned out to be like most presidents of any party. There are people who believe he does nothing right and some who think he does no wrong.
The truth, as is often the case, lies in between.
One thing that cannot be denied is the path to the White House for Donald Trump remains one of the most fascinating political stories of the last century (or longer). When he rode down the escalator at Trump Tower, few thought he would eventually be president.
Some said he would drop out of the race before voting began. Others said after his first loss he would throw in the towel. Those predictions were clearly wrong as Trump is now reaching halfway through his first term in office.
His election as president will probably open the door for other celebrities to run and even have a legit chance at winning. If nothing else, Trump has caused a lot more people to pay attention to presidential politics and that can only be viewed as a positive, regardless of what you think of him personally.
When you consider he really had nothing to prove or gain by running for the highest elected office in the land, it remains quite the story.
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Winder resident Chris Bridges is a former editor of the Barrow News-Journal. You can send comments about this column to pchrisbridges@gmail.com.

Politics is as screwed up and irrational as I have seen it.
I make that statement since my following politics on the national and state level goes back to 1968 — and as multiple columns and stories have noted, this is the 50th anniversary of that year.
(I haven’t adjusted yet to people who think of the 1990s as ancient history. Then I remember all the folks born in the late 1980s to about 2000.)
We didn’t get here overnight. It is likely to take a while to work our way to some semblance of normalcy.
I should say near the beginning that Donald Trump is not normal politics and Brian Kemp’s pale imitation of him is not normal either.
Trump is easily the worst president of my experience.
I have been toying with the idea of voting a straight Democratic ticket in November for federal and state elections.
That is something I can’t remember ever doing in local to federal elections.
In Georgia, that is mostly state offices, but since so many of our candidates seem to want to latch themselves to Trump, it becomes state and national — intertwined and thoroughly confused.
I haven’t found any candidate who seems thoughtful, balanced most of the time and cognizant that we are a large country with vast differences in thought.
I live in one of the “red” areas of the country. I have lived in a “blue” area for only about 14 months of my life.
That was western Maryland where I was quickly labeled a conservative politically.
I have been mostly a Democrat, with a healthy dose of Republican, voter most of my life.
I have voted as many times for Republicans at a local level as I have Democrats.
One time, in rural East Tennessee, I supported the local “majority” that ran the county about three years.
It was a mix of Dems and Reps, mostly centered around support for public schools.
I have become, over time, more and more liberal on social questions and more and more conservative on money matters.
I have watched the national conversations as both parties became more and more reactionary on the question of abortion.
Neither party has much use for those who understand the personal nature of the question, or the unwillingness to tell any woman how to best decide.
I have watched as Republicans became less and less interested in financial responsibility and more and more fanatical about cutting taxes. Hard though it may be to believe or accept, taxes in Georgia — and all of the South — are usually pretty low compared to almost anywhere.
Fiscal responsibility is one of my core beliefs.
That means I believe in paying for what we get. I’m not likely to get many votes with that view.
I wish the Congress thought it worthwhile to talk about the future of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
I’ll vote for that person if he or she has a notion about how to combine benefits and cost. (Note the “for” because I almost always vote “against.”)
I have no use for candidates who scream about “values” or the “flag” or a particular form of “marriage.” As one of my perceptive work mates commented, “you love who you love.”
I wonder only if they ever think about our common problems — most of which revolve around money.
The notion of “Medicare for all” and free college intrigues me. I tend to support both, but I am stopped by cost.
Those who preach them most fervently never want to talk about dollars and cents.
I have liked politics — it is a fun game to follow. But I don’t care for it these days.
Truth still matters but it does not seem to matter in politics. I’m tired of listening to, and talking to, local and state candidates who say nonsensical things and I’m supposed to regurgitate it with a straight face.
I didn’t much like politics in 1968 either. It was irrational and nonsensical then, also.
Hope we improve before I can’t vote anymore.
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Ron Bridgeman is a reporter for Mainstreet News. Send him email at ron@mainstreetnews.com.

Hearing the Atlanta news media describing another murder on the streets of Atlanta is nothing new.
Hardly a day goes by when the news media again announces that someone in the downtown area or on the south side has been shot or murdered.
It’s becoming more than a weekly thing.
Most lack rhyme or reason unless you consider street gangs and robberies as probable reasons.
One of Atlanta’s latest victims was Christian Broder, age 34, who was robbed and shot on July 8. Broder was standing with others on the sidewalk outside The Capital City Club in downtown Atlanta.
An Atlanta native, Broder was in town for a friend’s wedding. He, his wife and 9-month-old daughter lived in Washington D.C. where he was a restaurant manager.
They were waiting on a ride to pick them up. He died 12 days later as a result of the shooting.
His death was a severe shock to those who knew him or worked for him in D.C.
Friends described the late manager as the kind of person you liked to be around, a mentor and a friend, “a light to others.” Co-workers said he had a wonderful disposition and said, “He knows who we are.” They described their loss as devastating.
It sounds like just another senseless metro-Atlanta killing, leaving friends and family in shock and at a loss of understanding.
But there’s more to this tragedy!
This murder leaves a finger pointing not only at the criminal, but also at the court and an individual who should never have been involved.
The involved parties, including the court, for certain have blood on their hands today.
The criminal and alleged killer is Jayden Myrick, who is 17 years old.
At the time of the murder, Myrick and his companions were riding in a stolen car. Myrick approached the group and is alleged to have robbed the group before shooting Broder.
Myrick already has a felony criminal history. At age 14, he was found guilty of armed robbery and sentenced to juvenile detention until he was old enough to be transferred to an adult prison.
While incarcerated as a juvenile, he became the leader of a Bloods gang in the detention center and was charged with two misdemeanors and an additional felony assault crime, in addition to 29 other violations.
For some reason, the suspect was carried before Fulton County Superior Court Judge Doris Downs who referred him to a diversion program rather than sending him to an adult prison. The diversion program is known as Visions Unlimited and that’s the third part of the equation.
Prior to the robbery, Myrick was supposed to be learning a construction trade but Leonard Dungee of Visions Unlimited told Fox 5 News that Myrick only lasted a couple of weeks in the construction arena and a decision was made to put him in a classroom environment.
Dungee reportedly told the news media that the nonprofit thought the teenager would be better off going to school and working toward a GED while attending classes offered by the nonprofit’s founder Gwendolyn Sands.
Sands told the court, according to a story in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, that she thought she could rehabilitate the teen. They would “…pair him with a life coach for 24/7 supervision…instruct him in life skills…(and) the perils of street gangs. They would hold family support meetings…”
In addition, Sands told the court her program had “…a very structured proposed service delivery plan which I know addresses many of the issues…” with which the court had concerns.
The plan obviously had multiple failures as has the program in which he was integrated.
Visions Unlimited, a non-profit program, has had its own share of problems. In 2010 the Atlanta Public School System dropped its contract with the program after an employee went public with some issues and concerns.
At one time the program was also considered a charity, but its charity status was revoked by the IRS after multiple years of the program’s failures to complete the proper tax returns.
On the personal side, the Atlanta newspaper reported that Sands has a personal history of financial problems including, “…seven evictions, one foreclosure, four wage garnishments, five judgments for bad debts, one lien seeking to collect $33,000 in unpaid federal taxes and one arrest for passing a bad check.”
The AJC article also pointed out Sands doesn’t claim any “formal training in social work or criminology and the program operates out of a public library in southwest Atlanta.”
Shortly after the murder and robbery someone at Visions Unlimited was quick to produce a disclaimer and announced that the organization should not be blamed for Myrick’s criminal behavior, while promoting their 15 years of experience of working with at-risk youth.
Sadly enough, prosecutors warned the Superior Court Judge prior to her releasing Myrick, that the teen would pose “a significant danger to the public.”
The court failed to vet the program and accepted Sands’ comments and credential on face value.
Every time Sands and Judge Downs look into a mirror, they should see blood on their hands.
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Jimmy Terrell is retired from a career in law enforcement and is a Winder city councilman. He can be reached at ejterrell65@gmail.com.

I’d like to wish Tiffany Hawkins, one of my best friends, an amazing happy birthday this week. Hope it’s a great day from start to finish.
Hope all of the kids are ready to go back to school and all of the wonderful educators are ready for a new school year. Wishing my two grandsons, Tucker and Levi Jacks, a great school year at Apalachee High School, Tucker a great football season at Apalachee and Erica McLocklin a great year at Haymon-Morris Middle School.
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A great natural way to get rid of mosquitos without using pesticides is to take limes, cut them in half, poke cloves in them and set them in areas outdoors where you will be. Mosquitos will stay away.
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You would think working with chickens as long as I did with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) I would not like chicken especially since I saw some rather bad stuff with all of the Salmonella, bird flu, Newcastle and such, but it is still probably my favorite food to eat. I really don’t care for eggs after all the eggs I cracked, but I love chicken and am always looking for new ways of cooking it. It’s probably one of the most versatile meats to cook and the easiest one to make a great dish that most will enjoy. This week’s recipes will be chicken recipes that I think you will enjoy serving your family.
A combination of bacon and chicken makes a great treat that your kids will love. Add in a little brown sugar makes this a great sweet, salty, crunchy appetizer that would be great for those upcoming tailgate parties that are just around the corner.
Bacon Brown
Sugar Chicken Tenders
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
8 strips bacon
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cut each chicken breast into 4 long, thin chicken strips.
In a bowl add the brown sugar, salt and pepper. Add the chicken tenders and toss in the brown sugar. Wrap the chicken in a strip of bacon and put into your baking dish. Sprinkle over the remaining brown sugar. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until bacon is cooked through and crisp.
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Another great recipe I recently tried that your kids will probably also like involves orange juice and chicken. I like simple recipes that don’t take too long to make since most of my friends are busy running kids around to activities during the summer and then after school. It’s hard to get in a home-cooked meal if it takes forever to prepare. I say quick and easy is the way to go and better than fast food for you.
Orange Chicken
Ingredients:
Chicken:
2 Tbsps. cornstarch
4 egg whites
4 boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces (or you can use thighs)
Sauce:
1/2 cup orange juice (I used Simply Orange)
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 packed Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. sesame oil
dash salt
dash crushed red pepper
1 clove garlic, pressed
a little grated or minced ginger
1 tsp. cornstarch
vegetable or peanut oil for frying
Directions:
For the chicken: In a large bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and egg whites with a fork until almost frothy, about 1 minute. Add the chicken to the mixture and allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
For the sauce: Put the orange juice, soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, salt, crushed red pepper, garlic and ginger in a small non-stick skillet and whisk. Heat until bubbling and starting to thicken, about 5 minutes. Whisk together the cornstarch and 1/4 cup water in a small bowl and add 1 to 2 Tbsps. of the cornstarch slurry to the sauce. Mix in and thicken for 1 minute. Heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven until a deep-fry thermometer inserted in the oil registers 350 degrees. Carefully drop the chicken into the oil and move around, flipping gently until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Let the pieces drain on a plate lined with paper towels for 2 to 3 minutes. Then drop them back into the oil for 1 minute to really solidify the coating. Toss the chicken in the sauce and serve.
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A different twist to lasagna especially if you don’t like beef and you don’t like the tomato sauce is these chicken lasagna rollups. Made using lasagna noodles. Really good for chicken eaters.
Chicken Bacon
Ranch Lasagna
Rollups
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz. cream cheese
2 cups whole milk
6 oz. shredded Parmesan cheese
3 Tbsps. ranch dressing mix, divided
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
8 lasagna noodles, cooked 1 minute shy of the box directions
2 cups chicken breast cooked and chopped
8 oz. bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded or chopped into small cubes
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large pot add in the butter and garlic and melt together on medium heat. Add in the cream cheese and 2 Tbsps. of ranch mix and whisk well until combined. While whisking slowly add in the milk. Add in the Parmesan cheese and black pepper and whisk until just melted, then turn off the heat. Using a large cutting board lay out your pasta noodles. In a medium-size bowl add the chicken, bacon, cheese and remaining ranch mix. Spoon the mixture evenly over the noodles leaving 2 inches at the end with no filling. Roll them up carefully and tightly, then using a spatula move them into the baking pan. Spoon over the alfredo sauce. If you’d like you can reserve some of the filling to sprinkle on top of the rolls. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and spoon the sauce over the rolls and bake an additional 10 minutes. Serve with extra Parmesan cheese, if desired.
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Another great finger food for tailgating or just to add with chips and dip while hanging out with friends, these chicken fire poppers are sure to be a hit with family and friends.
Chicken Fire Poppers.
Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 lb. chicken tenders cut into ½-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
canola oil for frying
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup Frank’s hot sauce
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl beat the eggs with the garlic powder and onion powder.
In a second bowl add the panko crumbs. Dip the chicken in the egg mixture then coat with panko crumbs. In a large skillet heat about ½-inch canola oil over medium-high heat. Fry the chicken on both sides until golden and crispy, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Don’t worry about if the center is done just get it crispy and browned then put the pieces into a 9X13-inch baking pan. In a bowl combine the sugar, brown sugar, honey and hot sauce and mix to combine. Pour the sauce over the fried chicken and carefully stir to make sure it is coated. Bake the chicken covered for 15 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and with a spatula scrape out the sticky sauce. Pour the sauce over the plate of chicken.
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Joyce Jacks is a native of Barrow County and a graduate of Winder-Barrow High School, Athens Technical College, and the University of Georgia. She can be reached at georgiagirl2424@yahoo.com.

Here we are again, trying to process the loss of another young man from our community. How do we wrap our heads around this… again? Our tears have hardly dried from the most recent loss, and now another.
How do we reconcile ourselves to loss of this magnitude? Is it wrong to question “why?” Is it wrong to be angry? To feel disappointed and abandoned?
These are questions and feelings as old as time itself. Few of us would qualify as counselors, mentors or clergy… the ones to whom we most often turn in times like these.
And yet, still we seek answers to the most obvious question: “Why?” And truth be told, I’m sure they struggle with it, too.
I have asked this question myself so many times before, and you’ve probably asked it, too. We will likely never know the answer, at least on this side of heaven. And maybe once we get there, it will no longer matter. A pastor friend told me long ago, when my granddaddy died at his own hand, that it’s not a sin to ask God why. He’s tough enough to take all our doubts, fears, anger and questions while trying to understand when bad things happen.
I just don’t think there can be an answer. I’ve never asked it as a mother who has lost a child, but sadly, I’ve seen some of my friends go through it before. And I can’t even imagine.
We are never promised tomorrow. How horribly we’ve been reminded of this recently, right here at home.
We never think it will happen to us or to our family.
But tragedy and loss is no respecter of person, and it’s not a matter of if it will happen; it’s a matter of when.
Please keep the Cains, and continue to keep the Foxes, in your prayers. Let’s love one another. Let’s be kind to each other. Let’s strive to be a light in the darkness, and a shoulder to cry on.
And let’s do our best to help bear the burdens of those who are suffering.
God Bless.
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Cathy Watkins Bennett is a Barrow County native and a graduate of Winder-Barrow High School. Send comments about this column to
bencath@aol.com.

John Skinner, who has been the Barrow County chief of emergency services for about three years, has been hired as the new chief safety and security officer for the Barrow County School System.
The Barrow County Board of Education approved the hire Tuesday night.
The board agreed in late April to move toward filling that new position after assistant superintendent Ken Greene, who has overseen school security, along with other administrators, said the district’s top priority for safety would be the position.
The board talked about school security first in terms of hiring six school resource officers, putting one in each school.
The new coordinator will be responsible for security at all schools. Board members said they would like to have a staff person who is “expert” on safety questions to make recommendations to the board.
School security has been a priority, getting more attention each year, Supt. Chris McMichael told the board then. School shootings around the country have drawn new attention to the issue. Skinner was interim chief of emergency services or deputy chief of operations from 2009 until being named head of the Barrow County operations.
He has been a paid employee with BCES as firefighter and EMT, shift commander and battalion chief before becoming interim chief. He has worked for Barrow County for about 22 years — since 1996. He was a volunteer in 1996-97.
Skinner also worked for the Winder Fire Department as a firefighter and driver-engineer for three years, 1997-2000.
He has an associate degree of applied science, management and supervisory from Lanier Technical College. He was certified as an emergency manager through the Georgia Public Safety Training Center and as an EMT-intermediate at Gwinnett Fire College.
He has had specialized training in “response to terrorism incidents” and biological incidents. He also has been trained as the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office SWAT/tactical medic.
He is co-chair of the Barrow County E911 Advisory Committee and secretary of the Northeast Georgia Fire Chiefs Association.
The position was listed in the budget as costing $120,935. That includes salary, benefits and miscellaneous costs.
Skinner lives in Jefferson.
The Barrow County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to vote on a recommendation to name Alan Shuman the interim fire chief during a called meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday.

Winder officials are continuing to mull the future of the historic train depot building on Porter Street as the end of the Barrow County Chamber of Commerce’s lease approaches at the end of the year and chamber officials continue their search for a new location.
The Winder City Council voted in December to terminate a lease agreement with the chamber, which has occupied the building since the 1970s, at the end of 2018.
Since then, council members have discussed whether to sell the building or lease it to someone else but nothing has materialized.
“There is no city need for it at this time,” city administrator Donald Toms said last Thursday during a council finance committee meeting.
He added the city has approached the Barrow County Historical Society about the building but that historical society officials have told him the organization would not be able to pay rent or for maintenance on the building.
Councilman Jimmy Terrell, who was elected in November and seated in January, has said he is opposed to the city totally getting rid of the building.
“I think that would cause the city council a lot of problems,” Terrell said.
At the meeting, the committee tasked Terrell with coordinating with city clerk Maddison Dean to work with the Winder Downtown Development Authority and other downtown business groups to come up with suggestions for potential uses of the building. Dean is the city staff member on the DDA.
Some ideas suggested at the committee meeting included offices for a non-profit organization or a restaurant.
In the meantime, the council may approach the chamber about a short-term lease extension but would prefer that the chamber’s board of directors vote on interest in that before a proposal comes before city council, said Mayor David Maynard, who also serves on the chamber board.
Chamber president Tommy Jennings said Friday the chamber is actively working to find a new location and is in negotiations for a downtown location, though nothing has been secured yet.
“Certainly, time is beginning to run short and we understand some type of buildout would be required, which could push us into the new year,” Jennings said. “I think the option and possibility is there for us to look to the city (for an extension) if the need arises.”

The Barrow County Board of Education will be asked to approve $25.2 million in new and renovated school projects at its meeting Tuesday night.
The major portion of the cost, $19 million, is for the first phase of the new high school at the Sims Academy campus.
Joe Perno, assistant superintendent for system operations, outlined projects that would be submitted for state funding for Fiscal Year 2020. The application must be filed in August.
The school district would not receive state funding until the fall of 2019, which is during Fiscal Year 2020.
The district expects to receive about $10.5 million from the state for the projects.
Other than the new high school, the projects would be renovations to the single-story portion of Yargo Elementary School, $1.25 million; renovations and HVAC improvements to Westside Middle School, $2.3 million; Kennedy Elementary School cooler/freezer replacement, $75,000; and HVAC improvements to Apalachee High School, $2.6 million.
Perno also told the board that civil engineering drawings for the new high school are 75 percent complete and architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing drawings are 25 percent complete. Preliminary drawings for the site have been submitted to the state and comments are being addressed.
Grading on the site is expected to begin this fall and construction in the winter, Perno has said.
See more from Tuesday's meeting in the Aug. 1 edition of the Barrow News-Journal.